Sunday Afternoon Birdwatching

Summertime heat and humidity continues even now that we're in September.  Today's high of 92 occurred just before a series of thunderstorms dropped around two-thirds of an inch of rain.  I managed to watch the feeders and trees behind the house closely for a little over an hour this afternoon before and after the storms.

One of my favorites backyard birds is the Brown-headed Nuthatch.  (Sitta pusilla)  They're native to the Longleaf pine forests that covered most of the Southeastern Coastal Plain before European arrival in North America.  Fortunately there are enough remaining Longleaf Pine trees in my neighborhood to allow a population of these birds to persist.  Brown-headed Nuthatches are tiny birds (usually under 4 inches in length) and along with the Pygmy Nuthatch (a western U.S. bird) are among the smallest nuthatches on earth.  They're active, inquisitive, and very talkative birds with a call that sounds like a stereotypical bathtub rubber duck toy.  They enjoy either suet or sunflower seeds and are resident here year-round.  If you're familiar with the perky nature that Titmice and Chickadees display you're halfway there to anticipating the behavior of this bird.

Brown-headed Nuthatch on the suet feeder

Brown-headed Nuthatch (same individual as in the other picture)

Brown-headed Nuthatch perched in our Magnolia tree

As always I post these sightings over on eBird so researchers and other birders will have access to my lists  now and into the future.  Here's today's list:

15 species total

2	Mourning Dove
2	Ruby-throated Hummingbird
1	Red-bellied Woodpecker heard only
1	Downy Woodpecker Heard only
3	Red-eyed Vireo
1	Blue Jay
2	Carolina Chickadee
3	Tufted Titmouse
3	Brown-headed Nuthatch
2	Carolina Wren
3	Northern Mockingbird
1	Brown Thrasher
3	Northern Cardinal Age & Sex Juvenile Immature Adult Age Unknown Male 1 Female 1 Sex Unknown 1
4	House Finch Age & Sex Juvenile Immature Adult Age Unknown Male 1 1 Female 1 Sex Unknown 1
5	House Sparrow Age & Sex Juvenile Immature Adult Age Unknown Male 2 Female Sex Unknown 3

Some other very common birds I got pretty good photos of today are the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird and the Tufted Titmouse:

Ruby-throated Hummingbird on the clothesline

Tufted Titmouse with a sunflower seed.  This
appears to be an immature bird born earlier this year.